Hydromagnetic desalination cell with rare earth magnets

ABSTRACT

A hydromagnetic desalination cell including at least one hollow rectangular flow conduit, a first rectangular magnet and a second rectangular magnet each having a north pole face and a south pole face opposite of each other, wherein the first and second rectangular magnets are disposed along a longitudinal axis and on opposite sides of the rectangular flow conduit, a first opening and a second opening on opposite walls of the rectangular flow conduit extending between the first and second rectangular magnets, and a first and second chamber fluidly connected to the first and second openings. A hydromagnetic desalination system and methods of desalinating brine water with the hydromagnetic desalination system are also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation of Ser. No. 15/609,070,pending, having a filing date of May 31, 2017, which is a Continuationof Ser. No. 14/969,828, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,701,551, having a filingdate of Dec. 15, 2015.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field

The present invention relates to a hydromagnetic desalination cellhaving a rectangular flow conduit, a brine desalination system, andmethod of desalinating brine water using the desalination cell.

Description of the Related Art

The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description which may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentinvention.

Desalination of sea water is common in the Middle East and theCaribbean, and is growing fast in the USA, North Africa, Spain,Australia and China. It is also used on ships, submarines and islandswhere freshwater is not readily available. Desalination of ground wateris also common in the Middle East, Africa, and Australia. Currently,there are six basic techniques that can be used to separate salt fromwater; and these include distillation, freeze desalination, reverseosmosis, electrodialysis, ion exchange, and electrostatic deionization.Distillation and freezing involve removing pure water, in the form ofwater vapor or ice from a salty brine. Reverse osmosis andelectrodialysis use membranes to separate dissolved salts and mineralsfrom water, while ion exchange involves an exchange of dissolved mineralions in the water for other, more desirable dissolved ions as the waterpasses through chemical “resins.” Commercial desalination techniques inuse today include: reverse osmosis, which uses pressure to drive waterthrough a membrane leaving the salt behind; thermal methods, which useheat to distill water while recapturing heat from vapor condensation;and electrodialysis, which uses an electrical potential to drive ionsthrough a membrane leaving the water behind.

Although reverse osmosis is the most widely used technology, it hasseveral disadvantages. For example, the water recovery is only between30 to 60% and the disposal of the brine water is a major evironmentalissue. The membranes are expensive and can become clogged by scale andfouling, which requires frequent washing and replacement. Disposal ofthe membranes is also another environmental issue. Further, reverseosmosis is also very energy demanding.

In electrodialysis, brackish water is pumped at low pressures betweenflat, parallel, ion-permeable membranes that are assembled in a stack.Membranes that allow cations to pass through them are alternated withanion-permeable membranes. A direct electrical current is established tocross the stack by electrodes positioned at both ends of the stack. Thiselectric current pulls the ions through the membranes and concentratesthem between each alternate pair of membranes. Partially desalted wateris left between each adjacent set of membrane pairs. Scaling of themembrane to remove accumulated salt is avoided in most electrodialysisunits by operationally reversing the direction of the electrical currentaround the stacks at predetermined intervals.

The use of an electrostatic field produced by two electrically chargedsurfaces to separate ions has been proposed by MacGregor (U.S. Pat. No.4,948,514—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), and hasbeen known since then as capacitive deionization. The main problem withsuch methods is that positive ions accumulate on the negative surfaceand negative ions accumulate on the positive surface forming ion layerson the order of a few Angstroms, a phenomenon known as “double layer”.This phenomenon creates a reverse voltage that neutralizes the electricfiled inside the pipe, preventing further separation of ions. Severaltechniques were then proposed to overcome this problem, e.g. using ionselective membranes.

Boucier et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 8,460,532—incorporated herein by referencein its entirety) reported a deionization and desalination method usingelectrostatic ion pumping. Surface charge is applied externally, and issynchronized with oscillatory fluid movements between substantiallyparallel charged plates. Ions are held in place during fluid movement inone direction (because they are held in the electrical double layer),and released for transport during fluid movement in the oppositedirection by removing the applied electric field. In this way the ions,such as salt, are “ratcheted” across the charged surface from the feedside to the concentrate side.

Another desalination and water purification method was proposed byHoenig et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 8,016,993—incorporated herein by referencein its entirety). Salt water is bubbled, aerated, or sprayed to causebreaking bubbles along the surface of the salt water. An electric fieldis applied above the surface of the salt water. Fresh water droplets andvapor, released in the process of bubble rupture, are then pulled awayfrom the surface of the salt water by the electrostatic field andcollected for consumption.

A method and apparatus for purifying liquids in electric field wasdisclosed by Wildermuth, G. W. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,043—incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety). The method establishes laminarflow of the liquid, passing the liquid through an electric fieldtransverse to the direction of flow to induce mobility of particles awayfrom a negative field surface, separating the liquid into zones.

Edinger, W. J. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,555—incorporated herein by referencein its entirety) proposed to use an electrostatic field to preventbiofouling of membranes in reverse osmosis desalination systems. Thetechnique reduces the cost of maintenance of reverse osmosis systems.

A desalination device using selective membranes and magnetic fields wasproposed by Penas Ballester et al. (U.S. 20110147295 A1—incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. A device was designed to desalinatebrackish water which combined action of magnetic fields generated insidethe device and ion-selective membranes, thus obtaining two separatewater currents, one with a low salt concentration and the other rejectcurrent with a high sail concentration. The device comprises an externalcylindrical body of magnetized iron (1), an inner body also cylindricaland made of the same material (2) and an intermediate chamber (3) inwhich are placed a series of ion-selective membranes (6 and 7) arrangedradially around the axle common to all of the bodies, and placedalternately such that each negative-ion selective membrane has apositive-ion selective membrane on either side.

Warren et al. (U.S. 2004/0262234—incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety) disclosed an apparatus and method for the purification offluids using magnetic-field desalination that does not use electrodes.However, it uses a rotating magnetic field and ion-selective-membranebatteries.

A method and apparatus for separating ions from a fluid stream wasproposed by G. Richard, G (U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,687—incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety). A magnetic field and an electrostaticfield are established across a processing zone through which the fluidstream flows so that the flow vector of the fluid stream, the flux linesof the magnetic field, and the vector of the electrostatic field aremutually orthogonal. The resulting high and low ion effluents may befurther processed. No thermal input is required. No vacuum, reverseosmosis or reduced pressure distillation is involved.

A device for electromagnetic desalination of sea water was proposed byImris, P. (EP1880980—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).The device used a combination of electrically generated high frequencymagnetic field and electrostatic capacitive deionization in a speciallydesigned conduit to separate salt ions of sea water from the stream ofwater to obtain a fresh water stream, while the ions are forced by thealternating magnetic and electric field to go through separatedischarging conduits.

During the past 20 years there has been an ever-increasing interest inthe treatment of fluids flowing in conduits by means of magnetic deviceswhich are externally attached to the conduits transmitting the fluids.However, precipitates generally cause problems in these systems byadhering to the inner walls of the conduits and, even if theprecipitates are non-corrosive, will thereby decrease the effectivecross-sectional area of the conduits as well as increasing the flowresistance within the conduits.

Attempts to overcome such issues include work by Weisenbarger, G. M.(U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,425—incorporated herein by reference in itsentirely). The proposed magnetic fluid conditioner for abating theadherence of precipitates in conduits can be used with a variety ofliquids and/or gases which contain unwanted compounds capable ofadhering to the inner walls of the fluid transmitting conduits. Themagnetic fluid conditioner has means for directing the outwardlyradiating magnetic flux toward the fluid conducting conduits to therebyincrease the magnetic flux acting on the liquid and/or gas flowing inthe conduits.

A magnetic apparatus for preventing deposit formation in flowing fluidsis also described by Florescu, V. et al. (U.S. Pat. No.5,453,188—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), in which anapparatus and method for preventing and minimizing the formation ofdeposits of parrafin, asphaltene, and scale on the inside of downholeoil string line and on the surface of flow transmission lines isreported. Deposit minimization is performed by increasing the turbulenceof various electrically-charged microscopic particles populating crudeoil colloidal suspension, using effects of the Lorentz force acting uponsuch flowing fluid. A plurality of spaced-apart permanent magnet discassemblies are disposed perpendicularly to a fluid flow.

Another method and apparatus for magnetically treating a fluid wasdescribed by Harcourt, G. A. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,586—incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety). The fluid is passed along apipeline having a permanent magnet aligned therewith, and a coil,rounded at each end, is wrapped around both the pipe and the magnet.Magnetic flux is enhanced by providing a diode in each turn of the coilsurrounding the magnet and pipe. Optionally, a collector plate may beprovided in the coil remote from the pipe.

Another device for magnetic conditioning of fluids was described byMercier, D. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,143—incorporated herein by reference inits entirety), which describes a process and a device for the magnetictreatment of fluid as the fluid moves in successive magnetic fields,including a sheet having adjacent transverse bands each of the samewidth. Each band is charged with magnets oriented alternatively NS/SN orNNSS/SSNN perpendicularly to the plane of the sheet so that successivetransverse bands adjacent to each other present upper polar facesalternately having polarities S, N, S, N . . . S,N or S,S, N,N, S,S,N,N, . . . S,S, N,N.

A desalination device with a rotatable magnet is reported by Macleod, P.(WO/2014/001741—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Thisdevice includes a N and S polarity at the ends of a rotational axiscreating a torroidal magnetic field, a means to rotate the magnet, andat least two adjacent and stacked water conduit, adjacent the magneteach having a water inlet and water outlet at a center of the conduitand a second water outlet around the first water outlet. In use, saltwater can be passed into the conduit water inlet with said magnetrotating and positive and negative ions in the water migrating away fromthe conduit center whereby water can then be extracted from the firstwater outlet which is ion free, and the remaining salt water beingextracted from a second water outlet.

In view of the forgoing, an objective of the present invention is toprovide a hydromagnetic desalination cell having a rectangular flowconduit, a brine desalination system incorporating the hydromagneticdesalination cell, and a method of desalinating brine water using thedesalination cell.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect, the present disclosure relates to ahydromagnetic desalination cell including i) at least one hollowrectangular flow conduit with a conduit inlet on a first end and aconduit outlet on a second end ii) a first rectangular magnet and asecond rectangular magnet each having a north pole face and a south poleface opposite of each other, wherein the first and second rectangularmagnets are disposed along a longitudinal axis and on opposite sides ofthe rectangular flow conduit such that the north pole face of the firstrectangular magnet contacts the rectangular flow conduit and the southpole face of the second rectangular magnet contacts the rectangular flowconduit iii) a first opening and a second opening on opposite walls ofthe rectangular flow conduit extending between the first and secondrectangular magnets iv) a first chamber fluidly connected to the firstopening of the rectangular flow conduit and v) a second chamber fluidlyconnected to the second opening of the rectangular flow conduit, whereinthe first and second rectangular magnets generate a magnetic field thatcauses cations to flow from the first opening of the rectangular flowconduit to the first chamber, and anions to flow from the second openingof the rectangular flow conduit to the second chamber.

In one embodiment, a distance between the north pole face of the firstrectangular magnet and the south pole face of the second rectangularmagnet ranges from 0.01-0.035 m.

In one embodiment, the first and second rectangular magnets areneodymium iron boride or samarium cobalt magnets.

In one embodiment, the hollow rectangular flow conduit has a rectangularcross section with a width dimension that is larger than a heightdimension.

In one embodiment, the hollow rectangular flow conduit comprises anon-magnetic, non-conducting material.

In one embodiment, the non-magnetic, non-conducting material ispolyvinyl chloride.

In one embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination cell comprises aplurality of stacked hollow rectangular flow conduits, wherein eachhollow rectangular flow conduit is fluidly connected to the firstchamber through the first opening and the second chamber through thesecond opening.

In one embodiment, the thickness of the first and second rectangularmagnets are the same, and a distance between each stacked hollowrectangular flow conduit is equal to the thickness of the first andsecond rectangular magnet.

In one embodiment, the thickness of the first and second rectangularmagnet ranges from 1-6 cm.

In one embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination cell further comprisesa third chamber with a brine discharge outlet, wherein the third chamberis located downstream of and is fluidly connected in parallel to thefirst chamber through a first chamber outlet line and the second chamberthrough a second chamber outlet line and wherein the cations from thefirst chamber and the anions from the second chamber combine in thethird chamber and are expelled from the brine discharge outlet of thethird chamber.

In one embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination cell further comprisesa positive electrode connected to the first chamber and a negativeelectrode connected to the second chamber.

According to a second aspect, present disclosure relates to ahydromagnetic desalination system, including i) the hydromagneticdesalination cell of the present disclosure, in one or more of itsembodiments ii) an inlet tank comprising a first brine water comprisingsodium cations, chloride anions, and water that is upstream of andfluidly connected to the conduit inlet through an inlet line, whereinthe first brine water is flowed through the hydromagnetic desalinationcell to separate the sodium cations into the first chamber through thefirst opening and the chloride anions into the second chamber throughthe second opening to produce desalinated water iii) a desalinated waterline and iv) a desalinated water reflex line that fluidly connects theconduit outlet to the inlet tank for recycling the desalinated water,wherein the desalinated water line and the desalinated water reflux lineare fluidly connected in parallel to and downstream of the conduitoutlet, wherein the desalinated water has a concentration ofsodium-cations and chloride anions that is less than that of the firstbrine water.

In one embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination system furthercomprises a pump fluidly connected to the inlet tank and the conduitinlet, wherein the pump flows the first brine water from the inlet tankto the conduit inlet.

In one embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination system furthercomprises a first flow valve positioned in the desalinated water linedownstream of the conduit outlet, and a second flow valve positioned inthe desalinated water reflux line downstream of the conduit outlet,wherein the first flow valve and the second flow valve may be adjustedso that the desalinated water is flowed through the desalinated waterline and collected, is returned to the inlet tank through thedesalinated water reflex line, or both.

According to a third aspect, the present disclosure relates to ahydromagnetic desalination system including i) the hydromagneticdesalination cell of the present disclosure, in one or more of itsembodiments ii) an inlet tank comprising a first brine water comprisingsodium cations, chloride anions, and water that is upstream of andfluidly connected to the conduit inlet through an inlet line, whereinthe first brine water is flowed through the hydromagnetic desalinationcell to separate the sodium cations into the first chamber through thefirst opening and the chloride anions into the second chamber throughthe second opening to produce desalinated water iii) a desalinated waterline iv) a desalinated water reflex line that fluidly connects theconduit outlet to the inlet tank for recycling the desalinated water,wherein the desalinated water line and the desalinated water reflux lineare fluidly connected in parallel to and downstream of the conduitoutlet v) a third chamber that is located downstream of and is fluidlyconnected in parallel to the first chamber through a first chamberoutlet line and the second chamber through a second chamber outlet lineand vi) a brine tank that is downstream of and fluidly connected to thethird chamber through a brine discharge line, in one embodiment, thesodium cations from the first chamber flow to the third chamber throughthe first chamber outlet line and the chloride anions from the secondchamber flow to the third chamber through the second chamber outlet lineto produce a second brine water that is discharged from the thirdchamber to the brine tank through the brine discharge line. In oneembodiment, the desalinated water has a concentration of sodium cationsand chloride anions that is less than that of the first brine water. Inone embodiment, the second brine water has a concentration of sodiumcations and chloride anions that is greater than that of the first brinewater. In one embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination system furthercomprises a first flow valve positioned in the desalinated water linedownstream of the conduit outlet, and a second flow valve positioned inthe desalinated water reflux line downstream of the conduit outlet,wherein the first flow valve and the second flow valve may be adjustedso that the desalinated water is flowed through the desalinated waterline and collected, is returned to the inlet tank through thedesalinated water reflex line, or both.

According to a fourth aspect the present disclosure relates to ahydromagnetic desalination system including i) the hydromagneticdesalination cell of the present disclosure, in one or more of itsembodiments ii) an inlet tank comprising a first brine water comprisingsodium cations, chloride anions, and water that is upstream of andfluidly connected to the conduit inlet through an inlet line, whereinthe first brine water is flowed through the hydromagnetic desalinationcell to separate the sodium cations into the first chamber through thefirst opening and the chloride anions into the second chamber throughthe second opening to produce desalinated water iii) a desalinated waterline iv) a desalinated water reflex line that fluidly connects theconduit outlet to the inlet tank for recycling the desalinated water,wherein the desalinated water line and the desalinated water reflux lineare fluidly connected in parallel to and downstream of the conduitoutlet v) a positive electrode connected to the first chamber vi) anegative electrode connected to the second chamber vii) a hydrogenoutlet line fluidly connected to and downstream of the first chamberviii) a sodium hydroxide outlet line fluidly connected to and downstreamof the first chamber and ix) a chlorine outlet line fluidly connected toand downstream of the second chamber. In one embodiment, the desalinatedwater has a concentration of sodium cations and chloride anions that isless than that of the first brine water. In one embodiment, the positiveelectrode is electrically connected to the negative electrode through anexternal circuit to form hydrogen in the first chamber that flowsthrough the hydrogen outlet line, sodium hydroxide in the first chamberthat flows through the sodium hydroxide line, and chlorine in the secondchamber that flows through the chlorine outlet line. In one embodiment,the hydromagnetic desalination system further comprises a first flowvalve positioned in the desalinated water line downstream of the conduitoutlet, and a second flow valve positioned in the desalinated waterreflux line downstream of the conduit outlet, wherein the first flowvalve and the second flow valve may be adjusted so that the desalinatedwater is flowed through the desalinated water line and collected, isreturned to the inlet tank through the desalinated water reflex line, orboth.

According to a fifth aspect, the present disclosure relates to a methodof desalinating the first brine water with the hydromagneticdesalination system of the present disclosure, in one or more of itsembodiments, the method includes i) flowing the first brine waterthrough the hydromagnetic desalination cell to produce the desalinatedwater in the desalinated water line and collecting a portion of thedesalinated water ii) recycling a portion of the desalinated water tothe inlet tank through the desalinated water reflex line iii) combiningthe sodium cations from the first chamber and the chloride anions fromthe second chamber in the third chamber to produce a second brine waterand iv) discharging the second brine water into the brine tank throughthe brine discharge line.

According to a sixth aspect, the present disclosure relates to a methodof desalinating the first brine water with the hydromagneticdesalination system of the present disclosure, in one or more of itsembodiments, the method includes i) flowing the first brine waterthrough the hydromagnetic desalination cell to produce the desalinatedwater in the desalinated water line and collecting a portion of thedesalinated water ii) recycling a portion of the desalinated water tothe inlet tank through the desalinated water reflex line iii) connectingthe positive electrode to the negative electrode through the externalcircuit and delivering electricity to the external circuit and iv)electrolyzing the first brine water to form hydrogen and sodiumhydroxide in the first chamber, and chlorine in the second chamber, andcollecting the hydrogen through the hydrogen outlet line, the sodiumhydroxide through the sodium hydroxide outlet line, and the chlorinethrough the chlorine outlet line.

The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of generalintroduction, and are not intended to limit the scope of the followingclaims. The described embodiments, together with further advantages,will be best understood by reference to the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is an illustration of a hydromagnetic flow conduit cell with asingle flow conduit.

FIG. 1B is an illustration of a hydromagnetic flow conduit cell withstacked flow conduits.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a hydromagnetic desalination system withthe third chamber and a brine tank.

FIG. 3A is an illustration of the dimension of a magnet.

FIG. 3B is an illustration of the magnetic field produced a distanceaway from the magnet of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the gap(distance) in between the magnets of the desalination cell and the cellcurrent.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a hydromagnetic desalination system with apositive and negative electrode for producing hydrogen, chlorine, andsodium hydroxide byproducts in addition to desalinated water.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B. According to a first aspect, thepresent disclosure relates to a hydromagnetic desalination cell 101including at least one hollow rectangular flow conduit 102 with aconduit inlet 107 on a first end and a conduit outlet 108 on a secondend. The hollow rectangular flow conduit has upper and lower walls andopposing side walls that provide a fluid passageway. The upper and lowerwalls prevent fluid flowing through the conduit from escaping theconduit passageway in a direction towards the upper and/or lower walls.In one embodiment, the hollow rectangular flow conduit has a squarecross section. In one embodiment, the hollow rectangular flow conduithas a rectangular cross section with a width dimension (W_(c)) that islarger than a height dimension (d_(c)). The length of the hollowrectangular flow conduit (L_(c)) may be 120-500 cm, preferably 130-480cm, preferably 140-460 cm, preferably 150-440 cm, preferably 160-420 cm,preferably 170-400 cm. The width of the hollow rectangular flow conduitmay be 2-20 cm, preferably 3-16 cm, preferably 4-13 cm, preferably 5-12cm, preferably 6-11 cm. The height of the hollow rectangular flowconduit may be 0.5-15 cm, preferably 1.0-14 cm, preferably 1.5-13.0 cm,preferably 2.0-11 cm, preferably 2.5-10.0 cm. In one embodiment, thehollow rectangular flow conduit is suitable for non-commercial scaledesalination systems (such as personal drinking water purification, labscale water purification, etc.). In this scenario, the hollowrectangular flow conduit may have a length dimension of 120-180 cm,preferably 130-170 cm, preferably 140-160 cm, a width dimension of 2-5cm, preferably 2-4.5 cm, preferably 2-4 cm, and a height dimension0.5-2.0 cm, preferably 1-1.5 cm. In one embodiment, the hollowrectangular flow conduit is suitable for commercial scale desalinationsystems (such as city water purification, water treatment facilities,etc.). In this scenario, the hollow rectangular flow conduit may have alength dimension of 300-500 cm, preferably 320-470 cm, preferably340-460 cm, a width dimension of 8-20 cm, preferably 9-16 cm, preferably10-13 cm, and a height dimension 1.5-15 cm, preferably 2-12 cm. Theupper and lower walls and the opposing side walls of the hollowrectangular flow conduit may have varying thickness depending on thetype of desalination system employing the desalination cell, forexample, the thickness may range from 0.1 cm to 10 cm, or 0.2 cm to 9.5cm, or 0.3 cm to 9 cm, or 0.4 cm to 8.5 cm, or 0.5 cm to 8 cm, or 0.6 cmto 7.5 cm, or 0.7 cm to 7 cm.

In one embodiment, the hollow rectangular flow conduit comprises anon-magnetic, non-conducting material. Exemplary non-magnetic,non-conducting materials include polymers such as polyether,polyurethane, polyester, polyethylene (i.e. high density, low density,etc.), polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene,polyamides, silnylon, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene,polyethylene/Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate,polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and mixtures thereof,ceramics such as glass (e.g. SiO₂), porcelain, clay, quartz, alumina,feldspar, or composite polymer materials. In one embodiment, thenon-magnetic, non-conducting material is polyvinyl chloride.

The hydromagnetic desalination cell 101 also includes a firstrectangular magnet 103 and a second rectangular magnet 104 each having anorth pole face and a south pole face opposite of each other, whereinthe first and second rectangular magnets are disposed along alongitudinal axis and on opposite sides of the rectangular flow conduit(i.e. along the upper and lower walls) such that the north pole face ofthe first rectangular magnet contacts the rectangular flow conduit andthe south pole face of the second rectangular magnet contacts therectangular flow conduit. By placing magnets having opposite polesoriented toward the longitudinal center of the rectangular flow conduit,a magnetic field is produced that then extends between the magnets.Referring to FIG. 3A, the length 301 of each of the first and secondmagnets are generally 1 to 40% of the length of the hollow rectangularflow conduit on which they are disposed, or 1 to 35%, or 1 to 30%, or 1to 25%, or 1 to 20%, or 2 to 15% or 3 to 10%. However, the length 301 ofthe first and second magnets may fall outside of these length % ranges,and the hydromagnetic desalination may still function as intended. Forexample the length 301 of each of the first and second magnets may be upto 100% of the length of the hollow rectangular flow conduit on whichthey are disposed, or up to 90%, or up to 80%, etc. The first and secondmagnets generally have a similar width dimension 302 to the width of thehollow rectangular flow conduit. The width of the first and secondmagnet 302 may be at least 60% of the width of the hollow rectangularflow conduit on which they are disposed, of at least 70%, or at least80%, or at least 90%, or at least 95%, or at least 99%.

In one embodiment, each of the first and second magnets have a thickness303 ranging from at least 0.5 cm, at least 1 cm, at least 1.5 cm, atleast 2 cm, at least 2.5 cm, at least 3 cm, at least 3.5 cm, at least 4cm, at least 4.5 cm, at least 5 cm, and no more than 10 cm, no more than9 cm, no more than 8 cm, no more than 7 cm, no more than 6 cm, no morethan 5 cm, no more than 4 cm, for example 2-5 cm (FIG. 3A).

As depicted in FIG. 4, the distance between the north pole face of thefirst rectangular magnet and the south pole face of the secondrectangular magnet (see FIG. 1A, d_(g)) may control the strength of themagnetic field extending between the magnets. In one embodiment, adistance between the north pole face of the first rectangular magnet andthe south pole face of the second rectangular magnet ranges from 0.5-15cm, or 0.7-13 cm, or 0.9-11 cm, or 1-10 cm, or 1.2-8 cm, or 1.4-6 cm, or1.5-5 cm. In a preferred embodiment, when used in non-commercial scaledesalination systems (e.g. personal drinking water purification, labscale water purification, etc.), the distance between the north poleface of the first rectangular magnet and the south pole face of thesecond rectangular magnet ranges from 1-2 cm. In a preferred embodiment,when used is commercial scale desalination systems (e.g. city waterpurification, water treatment facilities, etc.), the distance betweenthe north pole face of the first rectangular magnet and the south poleface of the second rectangular magnet ranges from 2-5 cm.

The magnets used for the hydromagnetic desalination cell may bepermanent magnets or superconductors rolled in coils around the firstand second magnet. The first and second magnets may include iron,nickel, cobalt, rare-earth metals, or alloys thereof, preferably alloysof rare earth metals. In one embodiment, the first and secondrectangular magnets are neodymium iron boride or samarium cobaltmagnets. At room temperature, neodymium iron boride (Nd₂Fe₁₄B) magnetsexhibit the strongest magnetic properties of all commercial magnets.Samarium Cobalt Sm₂Co₁₇ ⁻ also has high magnetic field strength andinherent stability. In addition to (or in lieu of) neodymium iron borideor samarium cobalt magnets other magnetic materials (e.g.Sm(Co,Fe,Cu,Zr)₇, alnico, Sr-ferrite, etc.) may be present in the firstand second magnets and the hydromagnetic desalination cell will stillfunction as intended. In one embodiment, the first and secondrectangular magnets provide a largest magnetic field strength of 0.2-2Tesla, preferably 0.8-2 Tesla, preferably 1-1.8 Tesla, preferably1.2-1.7 Tesla, preferably 1.4-1.6 Tesla. In one embodiment, the magneticfield strength measured in the center of the rectangular flow conduit is0.3 to 0.6 Tesla, preferably 0.32 to 0.56 Tesla, preferably 0.34 to 0.52Tesla, preferably 0.36 to 0.48 Tesla, preferably 0.38 to 0.46 Tesla.

The hydromagnetic desalination cell 101 also includes a first opening105 and a second opening 106 on opposite walls (opposing side walls) ofthe rectangular flow conduit extending between the first 103 and secondrectangular magnets 104. The first and second openings provide a routefor ions (anions and cations) to escape the passageway of therectangular flow conduit as a fluid containing the ions moves along thelongitudinal axis and through the flow conduit. Like the rectangularflow conduit, the first and second openings are generally rectangularshaped, although other may also be possible, such as circular, oval,etc. In one embodiment the first and second opening have identicaldimensions, with the length of the first and second openings being50-99% of the length of the rectangular flow conduit, preferably 60-99%,preferably 70-99%, preferably 80-99%, preferably 90-99%. Further, theheight of the first and second openings are 50-99% of the height of therectangular flow conduit, preferably 60-99%, preferably 70-99%,preferably 80-99%, preferably 90-99%. Therefore, of the possible 100%surface area of each side wall, the first and second openings occupy atleast 25%, at least 35%, at least 45%, at least 55%, at least 65%, atleast 75%, at least 85%, at least 95% of the surface area of eachopposing side wall. While the hydromagnetic desalination cell mayinclude a plurality of openings on each opposing side wall, it ispreferable for each opposing side wall to contain only one opening thatextends along the length and height of the side wall, as describedheretofore, for desirable flow properties and separation efficiency.

As seen in FIG. 1B, the hydromagnetic desalination cell also includes afirst chamber 109 fluidly connected to the first opening of therectangular flow conduit 102 and a second chamber 110 fluidly connectedto the second opening of the rectangular flow conduit 102. The first andsecond chambers are integrally attached to the outside surface of theopposing side walls of the rectangular flow conduit such that the firstand second chambers fully enclose the first and second openings. Thus,the length and height of the first chamber is generally equal to orgreater than the length and height of the first opening 105, and thelength and height of the second chamber is generally equal to or greaterthan the length and height of the second opening 106, such that allfluid (e.g. fluid containing cations and anions) that escapes from therectangular flow conduit enters into either the first chamber throughthe first opening 105 or the second chamber through the second opening106. As used herein, “integrally attached” refers to objects ormaterials which are intimately joined together such that they aregenerally not separable by being formed with, molded, fused, sealed,encased, melted, and the like. In one embodiment, the volume ratio ofeach of the first chamber and the second chamber to the volume of theflow conduit is 1:10 to 1,000:1, 1:1 to 500:1, 10:1 to 400:1, 20:1 to300:1, 30:1 to 200:1, 40:1 to 100:1, 50:1 to 75:1.

In one embodiment, the first and second rectangular magnets generate amagnetic field that causes any cations present in a feed fluid (e.g. afirst brine water) to flow from the first opening 105 of the rectangularflow conduit to the first chamber 109, and any anions present in thefeed fluid to flow from the second opening 106 of the rectangular flowconduit to the second chamber 110. When subjected to the magnetic fieldextending between the magnets, the positively charged, cations andnegatively charged anions are deflected laterally away from each otherto opposite directions toward the respective first opening or secondopening, and are expelled from the conduit through the first or secondopening. To prevent external ions from entering (or reentering) the flowconduit through the first or second openings by diffusion or otherwise,fluid adjacent the openings inside and outside (i.e. from the first orsecond chamber) the flow conduit should maintain parallel flow. Anionized solution, such as seawater, flowing past the first and secondopenings outside the conduit faster than the partially deionizedsolution inside the conduit will produce a Venturi suction which drawsoff some of the desalinated solution having lowered salinity through theopenings into the outside flow stream within the first and secondchamber. This forms a thin boundary layer of lowered salinity along thefirst and second openings of the conduit which assists in preventing theexternal ion intrusion mentioned above.

As depicted in FIG. 1B, in one embodiment, the hydromagneticdesalination cell comprises a plurality of stacked hollow rectangularflow conduits, wherein, each hollow rectangular flow conduit is fluidlyconnected to the first chamber through the first opening and the secondchamber through the second opening. In this scenario, the first andsecond chamber have a length and height that is much larger than thelength and height of the first and second opening of each individualrectangular flow conduit, whereby the first and second chamber fullyenclose the first and second opening of all stacked hollow flowconduits. In one embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination cell havingstacked rectangular flow conduits has a top magnet 103 and a bottommagnet 104, with alternating flow conduits and magnets there between. Inthis setup, two adjacent stacked flow conduits may share a magnet, suchthat the second magnet to a first flow conduit may also act as the firstmagnet to a second flow conduit that is located beneath the first flowconduit in a stacked orientation. For example, a hydromagneticdesalination cell with N conduits, requires N+1 permanent magnets. Inone embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination cell may include 2, 3, 4,5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 rectangularflow conduits, although addition flow conduits may also be possible. Inone embodiment, the thickness of the first and second rectangularmagnets are the same, and a distance between each stacked hollowrectangular flow conduit is approximately equal to the thickness of thefirst and second rectangular magnets.

The hydromagnetic desalination cell may also be assembled in series, isparallel and in networks for economic scaling of desalination processeswithin a production plant, for example.

In one embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination cell further comprisesa third chamber 209 with a brine discharge outlet, wherein the thirdchamber is located downstream of and is fluidly connected in parallel tothe first chamber 109 through a first chamber outlet 210 line and thesecond chamber 110 through a second chamber outlet line 211 and whereinthe cations from the first chamber and the anions from the secondchamber combine in the third chamber and are expelled from the brinedischarge outlet of the third chamber (see FIG. 2). The third chamberprovides a mixing and holding container for recombining the sodiumcations from the first chamber and the chloride anions from the secondchamber and may therefore have different shapes and sizes. For example,the third chamber may be rectangular, cubical, spherical, cylindricaland the like, and may generally have a volume ratio to each of the firstchamber and the second chamber in the range of 1:10 to 10:1, or 1:5 to5:1, or 1:2 to 2:1, or about 1:1.

In one embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination cell further comprisesa positive electrode 501 connected to the first chamber 109 and anegative electrode 502 connected to the second chamber 110 (see FIG. 5).

The hydromagnetic desalination cell may further comprise a cationsequestration material and an anion sequestration, material. The cationsequestration material is a material that effectively binds to cations(e.g. sodium cations), incorporates the cations into pores presentwithin cation sequestration material, or reacts with the cations,thereby removing said cations from the solution. Likewise, the anionsequestration material can incorporate the anions (e.g. chloride anions)into pores present within anion sequestration material, or react withthe anions, thereby removing said anions from the solution. When pairedtogether, the cation and anion sequestration material may remove salts(e.g. NaCl) from a brine solution or otherwise reduce the totalconcentration of the salts in the solution. Therefore, when present inthe hydromagnetic desalination cell of the present disclosure, thecation sequestration material and the anion sequestration material mayaid in removing or lowering the total concentration of cations andanions in a solution passed through the desalination cell. Thesematerials may be present within the rectangular flow conduit, forexample as a lining on an interior surface of the passageway of the flowconduit or as a cross sectional filter within the path of a fluidflowing through the flow conduit or through the conduit inlet line 204.Exemplary cation sequestration materials include crown ethers (e.g. suchas 18-crown-6 which has high affinity for potassium cation, 15-crown-5which has a high affinity for sodium cations, and 12-crown-4 which has ahigh affinity for lithium cations), amino acids, zeolites, ordiatomaceous earth [see Heinbigner et al. U.S.20070256603A1—incorporated herein by reference in its entirety].Exemplary anion sequestration material includes compounds orcompositions comprising calcium oxide, iron, and aluminum oxide, such asthe compound/compositions described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,074,263 B2, whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Referring now to FIG. 2, according to a second aspect, the presentdisclosure relates to a hydromagnetic desalination system, including thehydromagnetic desalination cell of the present disclosure 101, in one ormore of its embodiments, and an inlet tank 202 comprising a first brinewater comprising sodium cations, chloride anions, and water that isupstream of and fluidly connected to the conduit inlet 107 through aninlet line 204.

Desalination is a process that removes some amount of salt and/or otherminerals from saline water, brackish water, seawater, brine etc. Ingeneral brackish water contains 0.05-3% dissolved salts, saline waterand seawater contain 3-5% dissolved salts, and brine contains greaterthan 5% dissolved salts (as presented herein % refers to % by weightbased on the total weight of dissolved solids and total solutionweight). In terms of the present disclosure, the term “brine water” isused as a general term for any water than contains more salinity thanfreshwater (freshwater generally contains less than 0.05% salinity), andmay therefore refer to saline water, brackish water, seawater, or brine.Further, the term “desalinated water” refers to any water that has beenpassed through the desalination system described herein that has a saltconcentration that is less than the salt concentration of the feed waterprior to desalination (i.e. the first brine water). Salts that arepresent in brine water that may be removed with the hydromagneticdesalination of the present disclosure may be, but are not limited to,cations such as sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium, ammonium, andiron, and anions such as chloride, bicarbonate, carbonate, sulfate,sulfite, phosphate, iodide, nitrate, acetate, citrate, fluoride, andnitrite. In a preferred embodiment, the first brine water comprisessodium cation and chloride anions. The “first brine water” as usedherein refers to an aqueous solution comprising one or more salts thatis to be desalinated. The first brine water may come from a variety ofsources, including, but not limited to surface water that collects onthe ground or in a stream, an aquifer, a river, a lake, a reservoir, anocean, ground water that is obtained by drilling wells, run-off,industrial water, public water (city water, well water, etc.), anindustrial waste water stream, sewage, water treatment facility water,and bodily fluids (urine, blood, etc.). In one embodiment, the firstbrine water has a salt (e.g. sodium chloride) concentration of 30,000 to40,000 ppm, preferably 33,000 to 38,000 ppm, more preferably 34,000 to36,000 ppm, or about 35,000 ppm (about 3.5% salts by weight).

In one embodiment, the first brine water is flowed through thehydromagnetic desalination cell 101 to separate the sodium cations intothe first chamber 109 through the first opening and the chloride anionsinto the second chamber 110 through the second opening to producedesalinated water. In non-commercial scale desalination systems (e.g.personal drinking water purification, lab scale water purification,etc.) the first brine water may be flowed through hydromagneticdesalination cell (q_(in)) with a flow rate of 3.5-5.0 L/min, 4.0-4.8L/min, 4.4-4.6 L/min. In commercial scale desalination systems (e.g.city water purification, water treatment facilities, etc.) the firstbrine water may be flowed through hydromagnetic desalination cell with aflow rate of 2.5-3.5 m³/min, 2.7-3.3 m³/min, 2.9-3.0 m³/min. In eitherscenario, the velocity of the first brine water in the flow conduit is10 to 17 m/sec, 11 to 16 m/sec, 12 to 15 m/sec.

The inlet tank 202 is a general holding/storage vessel for the firstbrine water, and may be of various shapes and size so long as the inlettank is of sufficient size to store a total volume of the first brinewater that is to be desalinated. For example, in a non-commercialapplication of the hydromagnetic desalination system, whereby 2-20 L ofthe first brine water is to be desalinated, the inlet tank should have atotal volume storage capacity of 5 to 25 L. Further, in a commercialscale application of the hydromagnetic desalination system, whereby20-100 m³ of the first brine water is to be desalinated, the inlet tankshould have a total volume storage capacity of 25-150 m³. Various otheramounts of first brine water and total volume storage capacity of theinlet tank may also be used in the present hydromagnetic desalinationsystem and the system will still function as intended. The first brinewater may be pumped into the inlet tank 202 through an inlet tank feedline 201. The first brine water is preferably pumped out of the inlettank 202 at a feed rate q_(in) that is the same or higher than the rateat which the first brine water is led into the inlet tank q_(f) throughthe inlet tank feed line 201.

The hydromagnetic desalination system includes a desalinated water line205 which connects the conduit outlet 108 to a collection source (e.g. acollection vessel, a potable water network, etc.). The flow rate (q_(o)or q_(p)) of the desalinated water through the desalinated water line205 may be 3.0-4.0 L/min, 3.1-3.5 L/min, 3.1-3.3 L/min fornon-commercial scale desalination systems and 1.8-3.0 m³/min, 2.0-2.5m³/min, 2.0-2.2 m³/min for commercial scale desalination systems.

The hydromagnetic desalination system includes a desalinated waterreflex line 206 that fluidly connects the conduit outlet 108 to theinlet tank 202 for recycling the desalinated water, wherein thedesalinated water line 205 and the desalinated water reflux line 206 arefluidly connected in parallel to and downstream of the conduit outlet108. The desalinated water exiting from the hydromagnetic desalinationcell has a concentration of sodium cations and chloride anions that isless than that of the first brine water. The concentration of salt (i.e.sodium cations and chloride anions) in the desalinated water may be lessthan 500 ppm, preferably less than 450 ppm, preferably less than 400ppm, preferably less than 350 ppm, preferably less than 300 ppm,preferably less than 250 ppm, preferably less than 200 ppm, preferablyless than 150 ppm, preferably less than 100 ppm, preferably less than 50ppm. In one embodiment, the water recovery ratio, i.e. the percent ratioof the desalinated water to the first brine water is at least 70%, atleast 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%.

In one embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination system furthercomprises a pump 203 fluidly connected to the inlet tank 202 and theconduit inlet 107, wherein the pump 203 transfers the first brine waterfrom the inlet tank to the conduit inlet. The pump used to transfer thefirst brine water to the conduit inlet and/or to flow the brine waterthrough the hydromagnetic desalination cell is non-limiting, and varioustypes of pumps may be used including a centrifugal pump, a rotatorypump, a positive displacement pump, and the like. The pump may have awide range of power such as 200 W to 900 kW, or 250 W to 850 kW, or 275W to 830 kW. Depending on the size of the desalination system and theamount of brine water that is to be desalinated, the pump may providediffering flow rates to match such requirements. In one embodiment, thepump flow rate for a non-commercial scale hydromagnetic desalinationsystem is 200-300 L/min, 210-275 L/min, 215-250 L/min, 220-230 L/min. Inone embodiment, the pump flow rate for a commercial scale hydromagneticdesalination system is 25-40 m³/min, 30-38 m³/min, 32-36 m³/min.

In one embodiment, the hydromagnetic desalination system furthercomprises a first flow valve 207 positioned in the desalinated waterline downstream of the conduit outlet, and a second flow valve 208positioned in the desalinated water reflux line downstream of theconduit outlet, wherein the first flow valve 207 and the second flowvalve 208 may be adjusted so that the desalinated water is flowedthrough the desalinated water line and collected, is returned to theinlet tank through the desalinated water reflex line, or both. The flowrates and the volume of desalinated water flowed through the desalinatedwater line and the desalinated water reflex line can be adjusted toachieve a desirable reflex ratio. The reflex ratio refers to the volumeof desalinated water flowed back to the inlet tank to the volume ofdesalinated water collected, and therefore the reflex ratio indicateswhat amount is returned to the inlet tank (i.e. the higher the reflexratio, the less desalinated water is collected). The reflex ratio may beadjusted to produce a desalinated water with a desired purity (i.e.concentration of sodium cation and chloride anions), where a high refluxratio results in a higher purity for the resulting desalinated watercollected from the desalinated water line. The reflex ratio maytherefore be variable depending on the desired final desalinated waterpurity and may range anywhere from 1:1 to 100:1, or 5:1 to 75:1, or 10:1to 65:1. For example, a non-commercial scale hydromagnetic desalinationsystem may have use a reflux ratio of 30:1 to 70:1, 35:1 to 60:1, 40:1to 55:1, 45:1 to 50:1. Former, a commercial scale hydromagneticdesalination system may have use a reflux ratio of 5:1 to 15:1, 6:1 to14:1, 7:1 to 13:1, 8:1 to 12:1, 9:1 to 11:1.

The hydromagnetic desalination system may also comprise a plurality ofsensors for measurement of one or more physical variables such astemperature, flow rate, pH, salinity, pressure, conductivity,concentration. These sensors may be electrically connected to flowcontrol elements such as pumps and valves, and control loop elements andautomatic control units (e.g. operating computers) to set and maintainthe operating parameters. In this scenario, the automated control unitscan receive signals from the plurality of sensors in the form offeedback, and adjust the system parameters (e.g. flow, temperature,etc.) until the desired parameters of the various system components orfluid (e.g. the salinity of the produced desalinated, water) are met.

As depicted in FIG. 2, according to a third aspect, in addition to i)the hydromagnetic desalination cell 101 of the present disclosure, inone or more of its embodiments, ii) the inlet tank 202, iii) thedesalinated water line 205, and iv) the desalinated water reflex line206, the hydromagnetic desalination system also includes v) the thirdchamber 209 that is located downstream of and is fluidly connected inparallel to the first, chamber 109 through a first chamber outlet line210 and the second chamber 110 through a second chamber outlet line 211and vi) a brine tank 213 that is downstream of and fluidly connected tothe third chamber 209 through a brine discharge line 214.

In one embodiment, the sodium cations from the first chamber flow to thethird chamber through the first chamber outlet line and the chlorideanions from the second chamber flow to the third chamber through thesecond chamber outlet line to produce a second brine water that isdischarged from the third chamber 209 to the brine tank 213 through thebrine discharge line 214. The brine discharge line is preferablyattached towards or at the bottom of the third chamber to facilitateflow of the second brine water from the third chamber to the brine tank.The brine discharge line may include a flow control valve to start andstop the flow (q_(b)) of the second brine water to the brine tank. Thebrine tank is a general holding and/or storage tank for the second brinewater, and thus may be any shape or size. The volume of second brinewater produced by the hydromagnetic desalination system is smallcompared to the volume of desalinated water produced or the volume ofthe first brine water (i.e. the second brine water is more concentratedand thus has less water). Therefore, in one embodiment, the brine tankhas a total volume storage capacity that is less than the total volumestorage capacity of the inlet tank. The brine tank may have a maximumvolume storage capacity that allows the hydromagnetic desalinationsystem to operate for 1-100 hours, 10-50 hours, or 20-30 hours withoutthe need to remove the second brine water from the brine tank to preventoverflow.

In one embodiment, the second brine water has a concentration of sodiumcations and chloride anions that is greater than that of the first brinewater. The concentration of sail (e.g. sodium cations plus chlorideanions) in the second brine water may range from 90,000 to 140,000 ppm,100,000 to 130,000 ppm, 110,000 to 120,000 ppm, 115,000 to 116,000 ppm,or about 115,500 ppm, for example.

The recombination of the sodium cations and the chloride anions in thethird chamber to form the second brine water may also release theionization energy to produce heat. The heat generated in the thirdchamber and in the brine tank can be used to increase the temperature ofthe first brine water in the inlet tank, which may aid the desalinationprocess. For example, the inlet tank may be located inside of the brinetank or the brine tank may in some way jacket the inlet tank, whereinthe brine tank acts as a hot water bath and results in the heating ofthe first brine water held inside the inlet task. In another example,the inlet line may pass through a brine tank conduit in the brine tanksuch that the first brine water flowing from the inlet tank to thehydromagnetic desalination cell may pass through the brine tank conduitwhereby heat from the brine tank is exchanged into the flowing firstbrine water. In one embodiment, the heat generated from recombining thesodium cations and the chloride anions in the third chamber is used toheat the first brine water and increases the temperature of the firstbrine water by at least 10 K, at least 11 K, at least 12 K, or at least13 K, and no more than 25 K, or no more than 20 K.

According to a fourth aspect, in addition to i) the hydromagneticdesalination cell 101 of the present disclosure, in one or more of itsembodiments, ii) the inlet tank 202, iii) the desalinated water line205, and iv) the desalinated water reflex line 206, the hydromagneticdesalination system also includes v) a positive electrode 501 connectedto the first chamber 109 vi) a negative electrode 502 connected to thesecond chamber 110 vii) a hydrogen outlet line 509 fluidly connected toand downstream of the first chamber 109 viii) a sodium hydroxide outletline 510 fluidly connected to and downstream of the first chamber 109and ix) a chlorine outlet line 511 fluidly connected to and downstreamof the second chamber 110 (FIG. 5).

In one embodiment, fee positive electrode 501 is electrically connectedto the negative electrode 502 through an external circuit to formhydrogen 503 in the first chamber that flows through the hydrogen outletline 509, sodium hydroxide 505 in the first chamber that flows throughthe sodium hydroxide line 510, and chlorine 508 in the second chamberthat flows through the chlorine outlet line 511. The electrical currentthat flows from the positive electrode towards the negative electrodeelectrolyzes the brine that results in the formation of the hydrogen503, chlorine gas 508, and sodium hydroxide 505 in their respectivechambers. The hydrogen gas 503 may be removed from the first chamber 109using a hydrogen pump 504, and the chlorine gas 508 may be removed fromthe second chamber 110 with a chlorine pump 507. Further, the flow ofthe sodium hydroxide may be controlled using, for example, a sodiumhydroxide flow valve 506. Rather than discharging the second brine waterhaving high brine content into a waste land or returning to oceanwaters, the generated electrical current can instead be directed towardsthe production of such industrial products (hydrogen, chlorine gas,sodium hydroxide, etc.), which have various uses. The external circuitis not meant to be limiting and can be any circuitry that provides anelectrical connection between the negative and positive electrode. Theexternal circuit, may therefore comprise various electrical componentsincluding resistors, connecting wires, capacitors, lamps, and the like.

In addition to sodium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide may also beproduced by connecting the positive electrode 501 to the negativeelectrode 502, where the magnesium hydroxide is formed in the first,chamber 109. For example, seawater generally has a total dissolvedsolids (TDS) content of around 35,000 ppm, which equates to about 1.292kg of magnesium per m³ of seawater. In the above process any magnesiumhydroxide produced may precipitate in the first chamber, and may beseparated from other soluble compounds present in the first chamber.Magnesium hydroxide is extensively used in various industries, includingthe pharmaceutical industry and may also be used as a raw material forproduction of magnesium metal.

The chlorine gas 508 produced may have an initial temperature of 50-90°C., 60-86° C., 70-84° C., or about 80° C. and may also include moisture.Chlorine gas in this temperature range can over time corrode metalcomponents within a system such as metal piping. Therefore, in apreferred embodiment, the chlorine gas produced is cooled and driedafter exiting the second chamber 110. Cooling the chlorine gas may aidto remove moisture from the gas stream and may also improve theefficiency of both any downstream compression or liquefaction processes.While not a requirement, it is generally preferred that the chlorine gashave a final temperature after cooling between 18° C. and 25° C. In oneembodiment, the chlorine outlet line 511 may be fluidly connected to acooling device such as a quench tower, a heat exchanger, a coolingjacket, or an expander to cool the chlorine gas produced with thedisclosed system.

In one embodiment, at least a portion of the electrical currentgenerated with the hydromagnetic desalination system may be recoveredand recycled internally to power secondary production units or can beretained to a power grid or network.

According to a fifth aspect, the present disclosure relates to a methodof desalinating the first brine water with the hydromagneticdesalination system of the present disclosure, in one or more of itsembodiments, the method includes flowing the first brine water throughthe hydromagnetic desalination cell to produce the desalinated water inthe desalinated water line and collecting a portion of the desalinatedwater, recycling a portion of the desalinated water to the inlet tankthrough the desalinated water reflex line, combining the sodium cationsfrom the first chamber and the chloride anions from the second chamberin the third chamber to produce a second brine water, and dischargingthe second brine wafer into the brine tank through the brine dischargeline.

The heat generated in the third chamber and in fee brine tank can beused to increase the temperature of the first brine water in the inlettank, which may aid the desalination process. Therefore, the method mayalso involve heating the first brine water prior to the flowing usingthe heat generated from recombining the sodium cations and the chlorideanions to form the second brine water, the various system componentsbeing discussed heretofore. The heating may be performed by using thesecond brine water as a heat bath to the inlet tank holding the firstbrine water. The heating may also be performed by passing the firstbrine water in the inlet line through the brine tank conduit located inthe brine tank. In this scenario, the brine tank may be in the form of aheat exchanger, such as a heating jacket that jackets the inlet line.

According to a sixth aspect, the present disclosure relates to a methodof desalinating the first brine water with the hydromagneticdesalination system of the present disclosure, in one or more of itsembodiments, the method includes flowing the first brine water throughthe hydromagnetic desalination cell to produce the desalinated water inthe desalinated water line and collecting a portion of the desalinatedwater, recycling a portion of the desalinated water to the inlet tankthrough the desalinated water reflex line, connecting the positiveelectrode to the negative electrode through the external circuit anddelivering electricity to the external circuit, and electrolyzing thefirst brine water to form hydrogen and sodium hydroxide in the firstchamber, and chlorine in the second chamber, and collecting the hydrogenthrough the hydrogen outlet line, the sodium hydroxide through thesodium hydroxide outlet line, and the chlorine through the chlorineoutlet line. The amounts of byproducts (hydrogen, chlorine gas, sodiumhydroxide, etc.) and desalinated water can be adjusted based on marketdemand and market prices.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises preprocessing the firstbrine water by returning at least a portion of the sodium hydroxideproduced from the electrolyzing back to the inlet tank through thesodium hydroxide outlet line, to precipitate at least some cations (e.g.calcium, magnesium, etc.) present in the first brine water as hydroxidecompounds (e.g. calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, etc.). Thesehydroxide compounds may then be removed from the preprocessed firstbrine water to decrease the concentration of at least some cations(calcium, magnesium, etc.) in the first brine water that is to bedesalinated.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises post-processing thedesalinated water by mixing at least a portion of the chlorine gasproduced during the electrolyzing with the desalinated water. Thepost-processing may be performed to reduce or remove bacteria or otherorganisms present in the desalinated water.

The examples below are intended to further illustrate the hydromagneticdesalination cell, the hydromagnetic desalination system, and usesthereof, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

Example 1

Magnetic Field Calculation

When a moving point charge (an ion) is subjected to a magnetic field, B,a force f, called Lorentz force, will act on the ion, which is given bythe following equationF _(m) =q _(e)(v×B)  (1)

Where

F_(m) is the force (in Newtons),

B is the magnetic field (in Teslas),

q_(e) is the electric charge of the particle (in coulombs),

v is the instantaneous velocity of the particle (in meters per second),

× is the vector cross product,

The magnetic force causes the positive charges and the negative chargesto move on opposite sides. An electric e.m.f. is then created betweenthe positive charge side and the negative charge side. For simplicity,it is assumed that the magnetic field is perpendicular to the chargevelocity vector. The potential difference E_(m) creates an electricfield E_(m)/L; where L is the distance between the positive and negativecharge charges. The electric field produces another electric force givenby q E_(m)/L. At an equilibrium state, the force produced by theelectric field balances the magnetic force acting on the point charge,i.e.

${\frac{E_{m}}{L}q} = {q\; v\; B}$

The potential difference due to the magnetic field is given byE _(m) =BvL  (2)

Example 2

Hydromagnetic Desalination Cell

The basic hydromagnetic desalination cell (HMC) is illustrated in FIG.1A. The cell includes one or more HMC conduits 102, FIG. 1B. Eachconduit consists of a rectangular cross section made from non-magnetic,non-conducting material as PVC, with two permanent magnets, where thetop magnet has its north pole facing the pipe, while the bottom magnethas its south pole facing the pipe. The HMC conduit has openings to beconnected to the first chamber and the second chamber. The black arrowindicates the direction of flow of the water through the conduit (seeFIGS. 1A and 1B). The positive ions will be forced to go to the rightside opening and the negative ions will be forced to move towards theleft side opening. For an HMC with N conduits, it requires N+1 permanentmagnets. The magnets could be rare earth magnets, electrical magnets, orsuper conductor magnets. Example of rare earth magnets are NdFeB andSmCo. Neodymium iron Boron (general composition Nd₂Fe₁₄B, oftenabbreviated to NdFeB) is the most recent commercial addition to thefamily of modern magnet materials. At room temperatures, NdFeB magnetsexhibit the highest properties of all magnet materials. Samarium CobaltSm₂Co₁₇ ⁻ has also high magnetic field strength and offers greaterinherent stability.

It should be clear that the set up in FIGS. 1A and 1B is given forillustration only, and other orientations, shapes, and configurationsare clearly possible within the concept.

Example 3

Hydromagnetic Desalination System with Third Chamber

An illustration diagram of one embodiment is shown in FIG. 2. The flowof salty water (i.e. the first brine water) q_(f) is first collected ina container 202, where the inlet flow q_(f) is controlled by a standardlevel control instrumentation. A pump 203 takes the salty water from theinlet tank at a flow rate q_(in) to a hydromagnetic cell (HMC) 101. TheHMC consists of a non-magnetic non-conducting pipe of rectangular crosssection, where a magnetic field B_(m) is established perpendicular totwo sides of the cell, while the other two sides contain suitableopenings. The magnetic field forces the positive ions to pass throughthe openings on one side of the HMC and move to zone 109. In the sametime the magnetic field forces the negative ions in the HMC to passthrough another opening on the opposite side of the HMC and move to zone110. Accordingly, Zone 109 will be substantially charged with positiveions, while zone 110 will be substantially charged with negative ions,wherein the accumulated positive ions cause zone 109 to stay at apositive electric potential, and the accumulated negative ions in zone110 to stay at negative potential. In one example for small scale units,the charged water in zone 109 and in zone 110 are recombined in zone 209and discharged as brine q_(b) (i.e. second brine water), which iscollected in a container 213. The discharge rate q_(b) can be adjustedto produce the desired water recovery ratio and to adjust the ionconcentrations in zone 109 and 110 for economical production ofbyproducts. The discharge brine q_(b) is at substantially higher saltconcentration (TDS) than the salt concentration in the inlet flow. Assuch, the flow out q_(o) of the flow conduit 102 has a substantiallyless total dissolved salt (TDS) than the inlet flow to the conduitq_(in) (i.e. the first brine water) and wherein a fraction of theproduced low salt water, called reflex q_(R), is recombined with theinlet salty water for controlling the amount of salt in the producedfresh water q_(p).

The following equations demonstrate the analysis for sodium chlorideonly as NaCl represents over 85% of the salt contents in the sea water.However, expanding the model to include other salt species will followthe same procedure.

The mass balance equation of the entire system is given byq _(f) =q _(b) +q _(p)  (3)

Where

q_(f) is the salty water inlet volume feed rate (m³/sec),

q_(p) is the permeate (distillate) volume flow rate,

q_(b) is the brine volume flow rate.

Let RR be the water recovery ratio

${R\; R} = \frac{q_{p}}{q_{f}}$

Similarly, the salt mass balance equationx _(f) q _(f) =x _(b) q _(b) +x _(p) q _(p)  (4)

Where

x_(f) is the salty concentration in the water in kg/m³,

x_(p) is the permeate salt concentration in kg/m³,

x_(b) is the brine salt concentration in kg/m³.

Equation (4) can be written in terms of RR asx _(f) =x _(b)(1−RR)+x _(p) RR  (5)

Usually x_(f) is known from the TDS of the inlet water. It is usuallybetween 35-42 kg/m³ in seas and oceans, and 4-5 kg/m³ in brackish water.If x_(p) is set to a desired value, then

$\begin{matrix}{x_{b} = \frac{x_{f} - {x_{p}R\; R}}{1 - {R\; R}}} & (6)\end{matrix}$

The mass balance equation for the inlet tank is given by

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{d\; V_{in}}{d\; l} = {q_{f} + q_{R} - q_{in}}} & (7)\end{matrix}$

Where

V_(in) the volume of the water in the inlet tank,

q_(R) is the reflex volume flow rate.

Let α_(R) be the reflux ratio

$\alpha_{R} = \frac{q_{R}}{q_{f}}$

q_(in) is the volume flow rate to the HMC

The salt concentration equation of the inlet tank is

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{d\left( {V_{i\; n}x_{i\; n}} \right)}{dt} = {{q_{f}x_{f}} + {q_{R}x_{p}} - {q_{{i\; n}\;}x_{i\; n}}}} & (8)\end{matrix}$

If V_(in) is regulated by a separate control loop, V_(in) can beconsidered constant. Then,

$\begin{matrix}{{V_{i\; n}\frac{{dx}_{i\; n}}{dt}} = {{q_{f}x_{f}} + {q_{R}x_{p}} - {q_{{i\; n}\;}x_{i\; n}}}} & (9)\end{matrix}$

At steady stateq _(in) x _(in) =q _(f) x _(f) +q _(R) x _(p)  (10)

Let V_(A) be the volume of the water in the HMC conduit

$\begin{matrix}{{V_{A}\frac{{dx}_{A}}{dt}} = {{q_{i\; n}x_{i\; n}} - {q_{o\;}x_{A}} - {KI}}} & (11)\end{matrix}$

Where

x_(A) is the average concentration in the HMC conduit.

Similarly, the steady state equation becomesKI=q _(in) x _(in) −q _(o) x _(p)  (12)

WhereK=M _(Ws) /F,

and M_(ws) is the molecular weight of salt, and F is Faraday's constantand is equal to 96,485 C/mole (Coulombs per mole).

The average concentration in the HMC conduit is given by

$\begin{matrix}{x_{A} = \frac{{q_{i\; n}x_{i\; n}} + {q_{o}x_{p}}}{q_{i\; n} + q_{o}}} & (13)\end{matrix}$

Finally,

$\begin{matrix}{q_{o} = {q_{R} + q_{p}}} & (14) \\{x_{i\; n} = {\frac{{q_{f}x_{f}} + {q_{R}x_{p}}}{q_{f} + q_{R}} = \frac{x_{f} + {\alpha_{R}x_{p}}}{1 + \alpha_{R}}}} & (15)\end{matrix}$

The brine concentration potential is then given by the Nernst Equation

For concentration potential:

$\begin{matrix}{{Ec} = {\frac{RT}{zF}{\ln\left( \frac{x_{b}}{x_{A}} \right)}}} & (16)\end{matrix}$

R is the universal gas constant and is equal to 8.314 J·K−1·mol−1(Joules per Kelvin per mole),

T is the temperature in Kelvin (K=° C.+273.15),

z is the valence of fee ionic species, for example, z is +1 for Na+, +1for K+, +2 for Ca2+, −1 for Cl−, etc. (note that z is unitless),

F is the Faraday's constant and is equal to 96,485 C·mol⁻¹ (Coulombs permole).

For high recovery ratio x_(A) can be approximated by

$\begin{matrix}{x_{A} = {\frac{{x_{i\; n}q_{i\; n}} + {x_{p}q_{o}}}{q_{i\; n} + q_{o\;}} \cong {0.5*\left( {x_{i\; n} + x_{p}} \right)}}} & (17)\end{matrix}$

Referring to FIG. 2 again, when the chambers 109 and 110 are joined by athird chamber 209, a closed electric circuit is established, where theHMC acts as a voltage source, and the current flows from the positiveside of the HMC to chamber 109, passing through the third chamber andreturning to chamber 110, back to the negative side of the HMC. Sincethe cross sectional area of chambers 109, 110, and 209 are substantiallylarger than the HMC, the resistance of the electric circuit is mainlydetermined by the electrical resistance of the HMC.

Let Lc, Wc, and dc be the length, width, and height of the HMC conduit,then the resistance of the current loop will be given by

$\begin{matrix}{R_{w} = \frac{\rho_{e}d_{c}}{A_{c}}} & (18)\end{matrix}$

Where ρ_(e) is the resistivity of the water. The resistivity of thewater depends on temperature and concentration. An approximate formulafor salty water is given by

$\begin{matrix}{\rho_{e} = \frac{5}{x_{A}\left( {1 + {\alpha_{T}\left( {T - 25} \right)}} \right)}} & (19)\end{matrix}$

Where x_(A) is concentration of salt in kg/m3; and α=0.02.2/C°;

The electric current can then be given by

$\begin{matrix}{{I = {\frac{E_{m} - E_{C}}{R_{w}} = {{\frac{{B(d)}W_{c}v}{\left( \frac{\rho_{e}W_{c}}{Ld} \right)} - {E_{c}/R_{w}}} = {{\left( \frac{B(d)}{\rho_{e}} \right)\left( \frac{L}{W_{c}} \right)q_{i\; n}} - {E_{c}/R_{w}}}}}};} & (20)\end{matrix}$

The current is directly related to the rate of retrieval of salt and thelarger the current the larger the rate of production of fresh water, andthe lower its salt content. However, there are a number of conflictingfactors affecting the fresh water production rate. For example q_(in)can be increased by increasing the reflex flow rate q_(R), but thischoice is directly related to power consumption and reduces theefficiency. A second choice intuitive solution is to use higher magneticfield. For permanent magnets, the current technology of rare earthmagnets provides about 1.6-1.4 Tesla. The magnetic field at the centerof the HMC conduit decreases rapidly by the increase of the separationbetween the two magnets. On the other hand decreasing the separation canlead to rapid increase in the electric resistance and reduction of thenet current. The above set of equations are inter-coupled and highlynon-linear, but can be solved iteratively.

Example 4

Power Balance Equations

$\begin{matrix}{{{Electric}\mspace{14mu}{ionization}\mspace{14mu}{power}} = {P_{wre} = {{E_{i\; n}I} = {{IBvW}_{c} = {\frac{{IBvW}_{c}d_{c}}{d_{c}} = \frac{{IBq}_{i\; n}}{d}}}}}} & (21) \\{{{This}\mspace{14mu}{power}\mspace{14mu}{must}\mspace{14mu}{be}\mspace{14mu}{derived}\mspace{14mu}{from}\mspace{14mu}{the}\mspace{14mu}{Hydraulic}\mspace{14mu}{power}} = {P_{wrh} = {q_{i\; n}\Delta\; P}}} & (22)\end{matrix}$

From equations (21) and (22)

$\begin{matrix}{{\Delta\; P} = \frac{IB}{d_{c}}} & (23)\end{matrix}$

Accordingly the power to be delivered by the pump is given byP _(Total)=(q _(in) ΔP+0.5q _(in) v ² +q _(in) ΔP _(fr))/η_(p)  (24)

Where the first term is hydraulic power transferred to electrical power,the second term is the kinetic energy of the water passing through theHMC, and the third term accounts for the friction losses, finally η_(p)is the efficiency of the pump.

The friction pressure head loss can be estimated using standard pipefriction calculations.

Example 5

Magnetic Field Calculation for Rectangular Magnets

The magnetic field produced by a pair of rectangular permanent magnetscan be estimated with the help of FIGS. 3A and 3B and FIG. 4. Themagnetic field strength at a distance 304 is given by

$B_{x} = {\left( \frac{2B_{r}}{\pi} \right){\quad\left\lbrack {{\tan^{- 1}\left( \frac{AB}{2X\sqrt{{4X^{2}} + A^{2} + B^{2}}} \right)} - {\tan^{- 1}\left( \frac{AB}{2\left( {X + L} \right)\sqrt{{4\left( {X + L} \right)^{2}} + A^{2} + B^{2}}} \right)}} \right\rbrack}}$

Where X=d_(g)/2; half the gap between the magnets

Example a magnet A (301)=5.1 cm, B (302)=2.54 cm; L (303)=1.0; x=0.5 cm;Br=1 Tesla

Then the magnetic field at the center of the gap Bx=0.414 Tesla

Thick magnets (L) are recommended, for example in the above example ifL=5 cm, Bx=0.67 tesla;

Clearly if separation between magnets is decreased the magnetic fieldincreases, causing a higher magnetic voltage and more current (highersalt removal rate). On the other hand if the separation decreases theelectrical resistance of HMC increases and the current decreases. Assuch there is a desired separation between the magnets and it should becalculated to maximize the efficiency of the HMC.

Example 6

-   Small Unit (Brackish water)-   Feed water salt concentration=5000 ppm=5 kg/m³. Temperature=300 K;-   Desired fresh water salinity=500 ppm=0.5 kg/m³.-   Desired recovery ratio=90%;-   Magnets: rare earth magnets, each piece is 5×2.5×2 cm; Br=1 Tesla,-   Gap between magnets=0.014 meters.-   Magnetic field at the middle of the HMC conduit=0.45 Tesla-   The HMO has a single conduit 150×2.5×1.0 cm-   System operating parameters:-   Velocity of water in the HMC is set to 12 m/sec;-   Reflex ratio=6.47; brine salinity=45,500 ppm.-   Feed water flow rate 24.01 Liter/min-   Fresh water flow rate=21.68 Liter/min.-   Pump Row rate 180 Liter/min-   Pump power=288 watts

It should be noticed also that the recombination of ions in the chamber209 releases the ionization energy and produce hot brine. The hot brinecan be utilized to warm up the inlet water to increase the fresh waterproduction rate. In the above example if the inlet water temperatureincrease from 300 K to 310 K, the fresh water production increases to33.93 Liter/min.

-   Small Unit (Seawater)-   Feed water salt concentration=35000 ppm=35 kg/m³. Temperature=300 K;-   Desired fresh water salinity=500 ppm=0.5 kg/m³.-   Desired recovery ratio=70%;-   Magnets: rare earth magnets, each piece is 5×2.5×2 cm; Br=1 Tesla.-   Gap between magnets=0.014 meters.-   Magnetic field at the middle of the HMC conduit=0.45 Tesla-   The HMC has a single conduit 150×2.5×1.0 cm-   System operating parameters:-   Velocity of water in the HMC is set to 15 m/sec;-   Reflex ratio=49.25, brine salinity=115,000 ppm.-   Feed water flow rate 4.48 Liter/min-   Fresh water flow rate=3.13 Liter/min-   Pump flow rate 225 liter/min-   Pump power=562.5 watts

The use of a HMC with 16 channels will then produce 50.14 Liter/minusing a pump of 9 kw.

Example 7

Hydromagnetic Desalination System with Positive and Negative Electrodes

An illustration diagram of a second embodiment is shown in FIG. 5. Theflow of salty water (i.e. first brine water) q_(f) is first collected ina container 202, where the inlet flow q_(f) is controlled by a standardlevel control instrumentation. A pump 203 takes the salty water from theinlet tank at a flow rate of q_(in) to a hydromagnetic cell (HMC) 101.The HMC consists of a non-magnetic pipe of rectangular cross section,where a magnetic field B_(m) is established perpendicular to two sidesof the cell, while the other two sides contain suitable openings. Themagnetic field forces the positive ions to pass through the openings onone side of the HMC and move to zone 109. At the same time the magneticfield forces the negative ions in the HMC to pass through anotheropening on the opposite side of the HMC into zone 110. Accordingly, zone109 will be substantially charged with positive ions, while zone 110will be substantially charged with negative ions, wherein theaccumulated positive ions cause zone 109 to stay at a positive electricpotential, and the accumulated negative ions in zone 110 to stay atnegative potential.

A positive electrode EP (501) is inserted in zone 109, providing apositive electrical potential, and a negative electrode En (502) isinserted in zone 110, providing a negative electrical potential. The twoelectrodes can then be connected to external circuit through appropriateelectrical cables for recovering the ionic energy in the two zones. Theelectrical energy can be utilized to derive a secondary smaller waterdesalination unit, or can be reconnected to the power network. Thecurrent flowing out of the positive electrode and returning to thenegative electrode will result in the following electrolysis of thebrine.

The ion concentration in chambers 109 and 110 are governed by thedifferential equations:

${V_{B}\frac{{dx}_{B}}{dt}} = {{KI}^{+} - {x_{B}q_{bb}} + {x_{A}q_{bb}}}$${V_{C}\frac{{dx}_{C}}{dt}} = {{KI}^{-} - {x_{C}q_{bc}} + {x_{A}q_{bc}}}$

In zone 109, upon receiving two electrons the water is disassociate intohydrogen and hydroxide ions2H₂O+2e ⁻⇒H₂+2OH⁻2OH⁻+2Na⁺⇒2NaOH

While in zone 110, the chloride ions lose their electrons to thenegative electrode forming Chlorine gas.2Cl⁻⇒Cl₂+2e ⁻

As a result, the process produces no brine. Instead it produces hydrogengas (503) and sodium hydroxide (505) in zone 109, and chlorine gas (508)at zone 110, in addition to the fresh water (i.e. the desalinatedwater).

Another byproduct is magnesium. Sea water of TDS 33,000 ppm, wouldtypically have 1.292 kg of magnesium/m³ of sea water. In the aboveprocess Mg(OH)₂ is precipitated in chamber 109, where it can be easilyseparated. Mg(OH)₂ is extensively used in the pharmaceutical industry.The magnesium hydroxide could be used as raw material for production ofmagnesium metal. A method for manufacture of magnesium hydroxide isdescribed U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,762 A.

Furthermore, a part of the produced NaOH can be fed back to the inletsea water in a preprocessing stage. When NaOH is added to the raw seawater in a preprocessing stage, calcium hydroxide and magnesiumhydroxide will be precipitated, and filtered from the inlet water. Thispreprocessing step substantially improves the quality of the producedNaOH.

As of 2014, prices per ton of low grade sodium hydroxide was $450 to$550 for textile, oil, pulp and paper; for high grade the price rangesbetween $700 to $900 per ton for the food industry; and for soap anddetergent industry the price ranges between $550 to $650;

Chloride is produced in equal molar quantities as NaOH. Part of theproduced chlorine can be used to disinfect the produced fresh water.Chlorine is used in several petrochemical industry, for example toproduce polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for PVC pipes; chlorine gas price rangebetween $900-1600 depending on the purity of the final product. Theprice of hydrogen gas is between $5-12 per Kg. There are two primaryuses for hydrogen. About half is used in the Haber process to produceammonia (NH₃), which is then used directly or indirectly as fertilizer.Because both the world population and the intensive agriculture used tosupport it are growing, ammonia demand is also growing. The other halfof current hydrogen production is used to convert heavy petroleumsources into lighter fractions suitable for use as fuels. This latterprocess is known as hydrocracking. Hydrocracking represents an evenlarger growth area, since rising oil prices encourage oil companies toextract poorer source material, such as tar sands and oil shale.

Chlorine gas exiting the cell line must be cooled and dried since theexit gas can be over 80° C. and contains moisture that allows chlorinegas to be corrosive to iron piping. Cooling the gas allows for a largeamount of moisture from the brine to condense out of the gas stream.Cooling also improves the efficiency of both the compression and theliquefaction stage that follows. The exiting chlorine is ideally between18° C. and 25° C.

Example 8

-   Commercial Scale (seawater)-   Feed water salt concentration=35000 ppm=35 kg/m³. Temperature=300 K;-   Desired fresh water salinity=500 ppm=0.5 kg/m³.-   Desired recovery ratio=70%;-   Magnets: rare earth magnets, each piece is 20×10×4 cm; Br=1 Tesla,-   Gap between magnets=0.03 meters.-   Magnetic field at the middle of the HMC conduit=0.391 Tesla-   The HMC has a single conduit 400×10×3.0 cm-   No of channels=16;-   System operating parameters:-   Velocity of water in the HMC is set to 12 m/sec;-   Reflex ratio=10.89; brine salinity=115,500 ppm.-   Feed water flow rate=2.905 m³/min-   Fresh water flow rate=2.033 m³/min-   Pump flow rate=34.56 m³/min-   Pump power=829 Kw-   With an average water consumption of 18 litters/day, this unit can    feed a city with a population of 160,000.

The rate of production of NaOH can then be calculated as follows

-   Rate of salt removal=q_(p) (x_(f)−x_(p))-   NaCl represents 85% by weight of the total salt, then-   Rate of NaCl removed=0.85*q_(p)(x_(f)−x_(p)) in kg/sec-   Rate of NaCl removal in moles=0.85*q_(p)(x_(f)−x_(p))*1000/58.44 in    moles/sec-   Every mole of NaCl produces one mole of NaOH-   The rate of production of NaCl=40*0.85*q_(p)(x_(f)−x_(p))*1000/58.44    gams/sec-   This unit will produce 25,916 tons of NaOH/yr.-   The rate production of chloride gas, hydrogen, and other species can    be calculated similarly.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A hydromagnetic desalination cell,comprising: a plurality of stacked hollow rectangular flow conduits witheach conduit having a conduit inlet on a first end and a conduit outleton a second end, wherein the hollow rectangular flow conduits are madeof a non-magnetic and non-conductive material; a first rectangularmagnet and a second rectangular magnet each having a north pole face anda south pole face opposite of each other, wherein the first rectangularmagnet and the second rectangular magnet are independently selected fromthe group consisting of a neodymium iron boride magnet and a samariumcobalt magnet, wherein the first and second rectangular magnets aredisposed along a longitudinal axis and on opposite sides of the stackedrectangular flow conduits such that the north pole face of the firstrectangular magnet contacts a first face of the stacked rectangular flowconduits and the south pole face of the second rectangular magnetcontacts a second face of the stacked rectangular flow conduits, and thefirst and the second rectangular magnets provide a magnetic field thatextends between the magnets; a first opening and a second opening onopposite walls of the stacked rectangular flow conduits extendingbetween the first and second rectangular magnets; a first chamberfluidly connected to the first opening of the stacked rectangular flowconduits; a second chamber fluidly connected to the second opening ofthe stacked rectangular flow conduits; a positive electrode connected tothe first chamber; and a negative electrode connected to the secondchamber; wherein the first and second rectangular magnets generate amagnetic field that causes cations to flow from the first opening of thestacked rectangular flow conduits to the first chamber, and anions toflow from the second opening of the stacked rectangular flow conduits tothe second chamber.
 2. The hydromagnetic desalination cell of claim 1,wherein a distance between the north pole face of the first rectangularmagnet and the south pole face of the second rectangular magnet rangesfrom 0.01-0.035 m.
 3. The hydromagnetic desalination cell of claim 1,wherein the stacked hollow rectangular flow conduits have a rectangularcross section with a width dimension that is larger than a heightdimension.
 4. The hydromagnetic desalination cell of claim 1, whereinthe non-magnetic and non-conducting material is polyvinyl chloride. 5.The hydromagnetic desalination cell of claim 1, wherein the thickness ofthe first and second rectangular magnets are the same, and a distancebetween each stacked hollow rectangular flow conduit is equal to thethickness of the first and second rectangular magnet.
 6. Thehydromagnetic desalination cell of claim 5, wherein the thickness of thefirst and second rectangular magnet ranges from 1-6 cm.
 7. Thehydromagnetic desalination cell of claim 1, wherein the first and secondrectangular magnets provide a magnetic field strength of 0.3 to 0.6Tesla in the center of the rectangular flow.
 8. The hydromagneticdesalination cell of claim 1, wherein the first and second rectangularmagnets provide a magnetic field strength of 0.34 to 0.46 Tesla in thecenter of the rectangular flow.